‘You’re not. You’ve done as much as anyone to get it to this point. Maybe it’s time to let others do the rest. If we need you in April then I’ll summon you. In the meantime, there’s going to be a lot of talking and planning and not much else. You’d do better to get home to your wife and make sure she’s all right.’
‘Do you mean it?’ He was already back on his feet.
‘Go home.’ Jerrard reclaimed his tankard with a smile. ‘Live a happy and peaceful life. Isn’t that what this charter’s for?’
Chapter Twenty-Five
It was strange how much of a difference one month could make, Constance thought, staring at the vast ornamented canopy above the four-poster bed. The first time she’d arrived in Wintercott it had been a place of refuge from a storm. The second time, it was a prison. According to the scratches she’d made in the wall plaster, it was almost a week since Sir Ralph had brought her back. Six days, every one of them exactly the same, with no sign of either Alan or Adelaide or any clue as to what was happening in the rest of England. Her father-in-law hadn’t gone quite so far as to lock her inside, but he’d made it clear that she couldn’t leave. Only Susanna visited her three times a day, bringing food and drink and any other items she needed. As prisons went, it was surprisingly comfortable, but it was still a prison.
On the other hand, what did it matter? Matthew was a traitor, a wanted man if he wasn’t already a condemned one. How could she care about where she was when all she could think of was him?
‘My lady?’ Susanna closed the door softly behind her on her second visit of the day. ‘I’ve brought you some potage if you think you can eat it?’
‘I’m not hungry.’ Constance shook her head, her stomach churning at the thought. After several unpleasant experiences of retching into a bucket, she’d come to the conclusion that her baby didn’t want her to eat anything except plain bread and then only one mouthful at a time. As if being trapped in an impenetrable fortress with a vengeful, possibly deranged father-in-law wasn’t bad enough, now she felt permanently sick, too.
‘You ought to try to eat something.’ Susanna put the bowl down beside the bed anyway. ‘My mother was the same way. She said she could barely keep anything down for a month when she was with child, but you need your strength.’
‘What do you mean?’ Constance looked up in alarm. She hadn’t told anyone about the baby. ‘Is it so obvious?’
‘I recognise the signs, although they don’t usually start so early...’ Susanna gave a knowing smile ‘...but you’re too pale. You don’t look well.’
‘That’s what happens when you’re trapped in a castle by a madman.’
‘My lady...’ Susanna cast a worried look towards the door. ‘You ought not to say so. If he hears you...’
‘What else could he do? I’ve already lost my husband and freedom. What more can he do to me?’
‘I don’t know, but he was so angry when you and Sir Matthew left for Lacelby. Now that he has you back he seems pleased again, but tense, too. He wants the inner gates locked all the time. It’s like he’s waiting for something.’
‘Waiting?’ Constance repeated the word thoughtfully, not that it made any sense. If the rebels had been defeated as he’d said, then he wouldn’t be expecting an attack. And surely there weren’t any other threats to Wintercott? Not unless... She sat up abruptly.
‘Has Sir Ralph received any messages from the King recently? Over the past couple of weeks, I mean?’
‘None that I know of, my lady.’
‘Nothing about a battle in London and the barons being defeated?’
‘I haven’t heard anything like that.’
‘He lied to me!’ She swung her legs over the side of the bed, seized with a fresh burst of energy. If the barons hadn’t been beaten, then it meant that Matthew wasn’t a wanted man. He wasn’t a prisoner! ‘Matthew’s free!’
‘But that’s good news, isn’t it, my lady?’
‘Yes! Except...’ She looked around the room, torn between outrage, relief and a new sense of dread. Except that she was here and Matthew would look for her in Lacelby and... Her breath hitched. That was why she was here, why the inner bailey was sealed, too! Sir Ralph wanted his son to know where she was and not be able to reach her. Never mind Matthew wanting revenge on his father. His father was already taking revenge on him!
She curled her arms around her waist, berating herself inwardly. She ought to have been prepared for Sir Ralph to try something like this. Matthew had tried to warn her, but she’d been too angry with him to pay any heed. If she hadn’t felt so weak, then she might have thought of it later, might have had guards ready to turn her father-in-law away from Lacelby at least, but she hadn’t. She’d practically given him a way to usurp her home and hurt Matthew, too.
‘I have to get out of here.’ She set her jaw determinedly.
‘Get out?’ Susanna looked alarmed. ‘It’s impossible, my lady, and even if it wasn’t, you’re in no condition to travel.’
‘Lacelby’s not far, only a few hours on horseback. If I can just get back, then I can close the gates against Sir Ralph and send word to Matthew.’ She whipped around and grabbed hold of the maid’s arm. ‘Alan! He’ll help me.’
‘It’s too late, he’s already gone. He left the castle in secret yesterday morning.’
‘What? Why?’
‘I don’t know for certain, but I heard two of the guards talking. They think he’s gone to find Sir Matthew. Maybe you ought to wait for them to come back?’